Youth Counseling Essay Example for Free

Youth Counseling Essay The mental and well being of adolescences is issue that has become very important in todays society. When mental health issues are left untreated in the lives of adolescents, this can lead to a number of negative and life changing consequences that will over time debilitate bother the youth and their family. Adolescence is a period in time of physical, emotional, and spiritual growth. Adolescences is divided into three phases: the early stage which is 10 years old to 13 years old and during this stage their will be sudden physical changes in the body because of the onset of puberty. The next phrase is the middle stage which is ages 14 to 16 and during this time in the onset of peer pressure and acceptance. The final stage is the late stage and age group is from 17 to 21. During this time the youth is transiting from being a teenager to becoming an adult. The years are marked by years colleges, the increase on making decisions, and becoming independent. Miller Rollnick, 2002) According to research, during these years the adolescent have several concerns, for instance, privacy, finding friends, being popular, surviving peer pressure, body image, academic pressure from school, dealing siblings, concerns about their futures, and issues in the family. (Miller Rollnick 2002) With all this these concerns of adolescents, it all trigger positive and negative mood swings, stress, depression, risk taking behavior, and acting out. Counseling adolescence during these stages in life be both challenging and rewarding. Adolescent Counseling: Preventive Health One of biggest counseling concerns for adolescences is preventive health counseling. The leading cause for adolescent death is accidents, homicide and suicide. (Stephens, 2006) In addition morbidity is also related to tobacco, drug, and alcohol use, engaging in risky sexual behavior, lack of physical activity and not eating right. According to the American Academy of Physicians, one third of all adolescence engage in some sort of risky behavior. The question has been asked why provided preventive health counseling to adolescence. The following are a widespread of serious and costly adolescence health issues that are preventable: unplanned pregnancies, sexual transmitted diseases, violence, committing suicide, and the use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. A study indicates that that about 25% to 30% of adolescences have been considered to be at risk of serious health outcomes based on risky behavior by the teen. Downs Klein, 1995) It is every common for adolescences to participate in more than one risky behavior because there is a rapid physical, cognitive and emotional development that this age and also many health and mental health arise during this time. According to research, some of the challenges in Adolescent health care are the lack of health insurance and the youth does not have a primary care physician. One study states that adolescences see physicians less that all the other age groups and about 73% of adolescents see a physician at least once a year. Center of Disease Control and Prevention, 2005) Adolescences view the physician as good source to get credible information but many times they are reluctant about informing the doctor about their health issues to due to the confidentially issues. (Akinbami, Gandhi, Cheng, 2003) It is important that doctors and counselor both develop a specific and written confidentially policy in their offices that will help assure the adolescent and parent that issues that are discussed in sessions will not be disclose without their consent. Providing preventive counseling to adolescences can be very difficult, this type of counseling is essential for all youth. (Millstein, Petersen, Nightingale, 1993) It is virtual when providing health counseling, the clinician should be provide a comfortable and confidential place and ask question relevant that will help the clinician identify adolescences who may be at risk for or engaging in risky behavior that will compromise their health. Providing health counseling at the this age is common in adolescences. Merenstein, Green, Fryer, Dovey, 2001) In some studies, it is suggest that professional guidelines are implemented to help improve the delivery of preventive healthcare information to adolescences. (Ozer, Adams, Lusting, Gee, Garber, Garnder, 2005) In preventive health counseling, it has been suggested the counselor or physician should do the following in the screening process: (1) Address the patient with direct and open minded questions. (2) Be an attentive listener and do not interpret the youth while they are talking. 3) Watch all non verbal communication, such as body position, eye movement, and posture. (4) Do not judge the adolescent by their appearance. (5) When the youth maybe using slang, please ask the youth to give and explanation. (Stephens, 2006) Many clinicians think that it is important to add preventive care to their practices. ( U. S. Public Service, 1998) Implementing Preventive Health Counseling is important. Physical Activity and nutrition are preventive health measure that adolescences would receive counseling for. For instance, many clinicians encourage their patients to engage in physical activity at least 30 minutes a day and this will help reduce diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia (National Center of Health Statics, 2004) In the sessions, nutrition is also discussed. The youth is asked about their eating habits and how they can improve them. The adolescent would be advised by the clinician to change their diet and consume 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day and limit their sugar intake. (U. S. Department of Agriculture, 2005) Sexual education is also another preventive measure that used. According to research, there are specific counseling recommendations when it comes to educating adolescences regarding sex. There will be discussion on sexual activity, the number partners, contraceptive use and any history of STDs. (Hedberg, Bracken, Stashwick, 1999) Some counselor use the five A’s strategy when working with adolescences that have tobacco addiction issues and the 5 A’s strategy is ask, advise, assess, assist, and arrange. (Stephens, 2006) Environmental factors in adolescent counseling is not often discussed but it is very important. Preventive counseling for environment factors such include the following not riding the someone who is under the influence of any type of drug or alcohol, do not text and drive, use helmets when riding bicycles, and wearing your seat belt when riding in a car. (Stephen, 2006) Chan Witherspoon (1998) states in their article that preventive health counseling has shown to successful with adolescences with risky behavior. For example, â€Å"Adolescents linked to school based clinic and on campus counselors and health education classes had profound effect on the teen pregnancy rate. College student that completed a risk appraisal questionnaire and that was follow up with feedback was less likely to use tobacco products. (Chan Witherspoon, 1998). There another studies that show that adolescences that received preventive health counseling decreased their risky behavior. (Gans, Alexander, Chu, Elster 1995) Adolescent Counseling: Depression Family Counseling Depression is a treatable condition for adolescents. Depression in the adolescent stage is a significant cause of morbidty for adolescences. (Stephens, 2006) Out 20 adolescents many of the youth show signs of clinical depression. Psychological treatments, drug therapy, and other measures can help alleviate symptoms and help the teen over come depression. † (Morland Bonin, 2013) Some physicians will consider screening a youth for depression if the exhibit the following signs: anger, guilt, missing school, and failing grades. (Son, Kirchner 2000) Researcher stated that treatment of depression is very successful for teen when the parents are involved in the counseling. Family education about depression is a very important components when treating a teens for depression. Ma Stafford 2005) Moreland and Bonin (2013) provided information on how to understand depression and its affects on the moods, thoughts, and behavior can help the teen and their deal with depression in different ways: family members learn about he symptoms of depression and how this will affect the family dynamic and the family will also be educated on how to provide a safe environment for depressed teens. When counseling a treat depression for a adolescent, psychological treatments and talk therapy will help teach the patient and their family to understand what the nature of depression. This will include how to deal with low moods, engage in productive and positive behavior, how manage and maintain relationships with family and friend, how to make wise decisions, problem solving skills, and how to deal with stressful situations that may associate with depression. (Morland and Bonin, 2013) The counseling session will last about 30 to 60 minutes per week with a training therapist. Throughout the session the youth will talk about his or his feelings, emotions, thoughts, and behavior. The counselor and the youth will discuss alternative ways on dealing and coping with depressive symptoms. Morland and Bonin, 2013) When dealing with a adolescent that is in a depressive state, the therapist/counselor needs to have the appropriate training. When a family and choosing a therapist/counselor, it is important that they should consider the person’s education, training and experience with adolescents. (Ma Stafford, 2005) For example, the following questions that family could ask the therapist: :†What type of training or experience do you have treating depression in adolescents? † â€Å"Will the family members be included in some aspect of the treatment? If so, how? (Morland and Bonin, 2013) Another component to the counseling, the youth can be prescribed medication to help deal with depression. Adolescent Counseling: Suicide Suicide in one of leading causes to the mortality in adolescents. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000) There are some risk factors that contribute to suicide in adolescents: they are abusing drugs and alcohol, history of depression, and having problems at home and in school. (Bukstein, Brent, Perper, Mortiz, Baugher, Schweers, 1993) According to research, when a youth is having trouble dealing with at difficult situation, they may consider suicide. Another component that leads to teen suicide, is that they have easy access to firearms, drugs, alcohol and cars. According statics, about 30% of teen suicides will involve a firearm and all firearm-related that occur with teens, about 80% are suicides. (Rao, Birmaher, Dahl, Williamson, Kaufman, 1995) There are always warning signs regarding suicide. The signs do not appear just out of the blue. For instance, when a youth withdraws from his family and friends, neglect their personal appearance, they believe speak about being hopelessness, eating habits change, their behavior becomes violent, these just a few warning signs. â€Å"More obvious signs that an adolescent many be suicidal include low self-esteem, and self deprecating remarks. Some teens come right out and talk and write about their suicidal thoughts. † (Hawton, K. , Heeringen, K. (2000). These actions need to be taken seriously and not ignored and help should immediate because these are cries for help. When seeking treatment for suicidal adolescents, it is very important to seek professional help such guidance counselors in schools, crisis centers, or even a pastor. It has been noted that often youth in a depressive state committee suicide. A professional can help by doing the following when dealing a youth that is suicidal: â€Å"An objective, caring listener who can share other more hopeful sides of the picture, help in determining what needs to be changed, finding solutions that arent as permanent as suicide, help to identify the resources needed for these changes, medication for depression when appropriate and Hospitalization a safe place to regain energy and work on problems. † (Hawton, K. , Heeringen, K. (2000). Ethical and legal Issues Related to Counseling Adolescents When counseling adolescents, it is very important to many sure that all ethical and legal guidelines are followed. According to the American Counseling Association, confidentiality, counselor competence, reporting abuse and neglect, and informed consent all require special consideration when counseling adolescents. The ethical and legal conflicts when dealing confidentiality. In some states, the law requires that a counselor maintain the confidentiality of the youth as young as 12 in a school setting; However, in a counseling setting the parents have legal right to all information disclosed in a session regarding child until the age of 18. Ethical codes advise counselors to maintain confidentiality as specified by federal and state laws, but parental rights are upheld by law in most states. † (Herlihy Corey 2006) According to Standard A. 2. a â€Å"all client have the right to inform consent and the freedom to decided to enter and remain in therapy after understanding their rights and responsibilities as well as the responsibilities of the counselor. † (ACA, 2005) When resolving a conflict in counseling, the parents must understand that confidentiality as it applies to their child therapy. Problems arise when a child discloses information in a session that they do not want shared with their parents. But if for some reason the counselor thinks that they child is not danger, it is necessary for the counselor to disclose that information to the parent. But the counselor can use discretion when share this information to the parent. (Lawerence and Kurpius, 2000) When trying to resolve this conflict, the counselor should encourage the adolescent to share information with their parent with the assistance of the counselor. However, if the adolescent is refusing to disclose information to the parent, the counselor needs to try to explain to the youth why it is important to share this information with the parent. (Herlihy Corey 2006) The related code according to ACA Standard B. 2. a â€Å"requires a breach of confidentiality when a the counselor believes such disclousure will protect the client from serious and foreseeable harm. In the case of reporting child abuse, federal and state laws require such reporting by mental health counselors and health professionals. (ACA, 2005) According to law is not a specific competence when come to counseling adolescents. Mental health counselors should have prior education, training, and experience as described in the ACA (2005). The related ethical code in the ACA (2005) Standard c. 2. a states â€Å"that counselors should understand the practice within the boundaries of their knowledge and experience and should not hold themselves out to providing services of which they are not appropriately trained. According to Lawerence and Kurpuis (2000), they stated that inform consent is an agreement between the client and the counselor for the start of therapy and this falls under the jurisdiction of contract law, and in most cases when providing a service to a minor the contact is between the parent the counselor.. The related ethincal code according to ACA Standard A. 2. D states ‘counseling a minor, the counselor must obtain inform consent from the parents or the legal guardian prior to starting therapy with a minor. †

The Movement Of German Expressionism Film Studies Essay

The Movement Of German Expressionism Film Studies Essay German expressionism occurred during the attempt of a liberal democratic republic after the so called March revolution in 1848. The revolution lead to the Weimar republic until 1933 where the NSDAP rose in power and brought with it a totalitarian dictatorship. Although this is the nearest estimate to how it happened, the theory that many where unhappy during the Weimar republic since it was democracy without democrats is also supported. German Expressionism is an artistic movement of the 1910s and 1920s that involved theatre, photography, painting, sculpture, and architecture and of course film. We will acclaim the German expressionist film time period from 1918 and 1930, at this time the aftermaths of world war one and the troubled Weimar republic overshadowed the films that were being made. The Weimar democracy had to face many difficulties such as: rampant inflation, strikes, street fighting, armed revolt, mass unemployment and political rivalry. This gave expressionism the perfect start to create an art based on the illusion of reality, and this since film is being watched as a sort of avoidance towards ones own life. Making cinema be a medium of escapism, where reality is put on hold for an hour or two as the viewer sits in a darkened room and consumes the images projected onto the screen. This is why adventure films were the most popular in the beginnings. Considerably like in the classical Hollywood cinema al so known as the golden age of Hollywood, era between roughly 1910 and 1960. Which the Films from Germany at that time, tried competing with. The style of German expressionism is what turned it to an influence in the end. The world of German expressionism is an artificial world a world of light and shadow, it created a unique Mise-en-scà ¨ne German Expressionist films look different, but they have a lot in common with each other. The directors created atmosphere by means of strange camera angles, lighting and contrasts between black and white. Shadows and silhouettes were frequently displayed; sometimes they were even painted on to the sets. The stories that were told in the German expressionist cinema were often dark and sombre, matching the visuals. Crime, madness and paranoia were frequently addressed and the claustrophobic atmosphere created by the shadows and dark lighting served to heighten the drama Many modern films such as Blade Runner, Batman demonstrate the influence of German expressionism. The style is ideal for portraying macabre subject matters. Devices such as low key lighting are used to convey mystery, and monsters lurking in shadows. Distortion is also commonly used in both expressionism and later horror films, employed through make-up, camera angles, costumes and strange backdrops But these arent the only attributes that German expressionist films hold. Broadly spoken the films welled together an entire film crew, and none of the films at that time can be left unaccredited of the entire crew, whereas nowadays a director gains the acknowledgements. Also, the desire of combining box-office success and artistic touch is rarely seen in todays world, but was fundamental to Weimar film. They include thematic negations like: Dream vs. reality, Blindness Vs. vision, Insanity vs. Sanity Which symbolically reflected the political fears of society From the perspective of style, Metropolisis an avant garde science fiction film. The mad scientist returns, this time to create a robot double of Maria, the heroine. The robot is able to break away from the control of its master and in the end the whole city is destroyed. A lot of films haven dissected its themes. There can be no doubt that Metropolis is one of the greatest films ever made, regularly appearing on all-time-best lists. Considering when it was made, it is an extraordinary achievement and it has created lasting visual impressions on audiences since its release in 1927. But it is not only for its wealth of cinematic innovation that it is rightly hailed as a classic. Its themes of social injustice, the relationship between man and machine and the growth of the industrial society have had a huge influence on the work of subsequent film-makers, especially those working in the field of science-fiction. Thousands of slaves work on gigantic machines in a huge underground city. The rich live above ground, in an Eden-like garden paradise. One day Maria inadvertently escapes out of the underground city and with a few poor children reaches the luxury life of those above ground. The son of the all-powerful factory boss falls in love with her and follows her into the underworld, where he learns how miserably the proletariat has to live. The inventor, Rotwang, builds a robot, an artificial worker, who can make no mistake. He drags Maria into his laboratory and, with the help of electric energy succeeds in transferring her looks onto the robot. In doing this, he creates an evil Maria. This figure is then sent to the workers to spur them to revolt. The underground city is flooded at the end Lang presents this very vividly. The rising water threatens the children who have been left to fend for themselves by the rampaging workers. The evil Maria is burnt, the real Maria is abducted by Rotwang. Finally, a fight between Fredersen, the son of the boss, and Rotwang leads to the latter falling to his death. At the end the social classes are reconciled, life continues in a socio-political utopia, the machines are destroyed. The word Utopia, derives from greek literally meaning: Not-Place. An ideal state or community. For the whole film Metropolis is locked inside a sealed frame; an inner world which purports to be an outside world. The monumentalism of this Lang film creates claustrophobia, but has left its tracks in countless science-fiction films, not least of which is Blade Runner I wanted to explore future germany so Metropolis brings the audience into the year 2026. You can see Gothic skyscrapers,and the society in this city or state consists of two groups. On one hand the plannersand thinkers, who live an unbelievable comfortable life, and on the other hand the workers who live in the underground working hard to serve the privileged. Johann Joh Fredersen rules over Metropolis. In Blade Runner, these two groups are the humans and robots which are called the replicants. Dr. Eldon Tyrell built an empire, that without slaves would never work like Johann Fredersen in Metropolis. In Metropolis a monument is built which stands for the greatness of humanity and the creator of the world. This monument is very high, actually it reaches the stars. In Blade Runner you can also see this elevated lifestyle (for example Dr.Tyrell himself is living in one of these high-tech skyscrapers), but elsewhere it is not gleaming at all, it is dark and cold. The workers in Metropolis revolt and destroy the monument because of their overwhelming anger. In Blade Runner, Roy Batty leads a revolt of the replicants against their creator Dr.Tyrell. Finally Roy kills the doctor. Blade Runner presents a dystopian Los Angeles in the year 2019 in which human beings were genetically manufactured (called the replicants). These replicants have to do all the hard and dangerous work. In Metropolis, the workers also live a poor live and have to work underground and under very dangerous conditions. A very interesting detail is that a robot is one of the main female characters in both of the movies. Maria (in Metropolis) has a duplicate robot of herself just as Rachael (in Blade Runner) is a robot that is modeled after Tyrells niece. the tower of Babel amazed me, a hierarchical social status symbol in the form of the centered most highest building in town, when I was thinking about set-design They were built from a variety of haunting images: Edward Hoppers painting Nighthawks, the skyline of Hong Kong at night, the fiery industrial landscape of Tyneside and Teesside of My childhood, the French comic-book: Mà ©tal Hurlant [Heavy Metal], and, quite clearly, Metropolis Both Metropolis and Blade Runner have similar set designs, because one thing influenced the other, when it comes to the architecture of the cities, being the tower of Babel. In Blade Runner the opening sequence is shot by a huge pan, this enables a threatening feeling, all the smoke and fire. It is a magnificent but also a very disturbing picture of the Tower of Babel, showing the headquarters of the humanoid replicants factory, where the dirty work for human beings is done. Based on Metropolis Jerry Siegel und Joe Shuster decided to name their base in the film Superman after the famous film. The architectural design of Tim Burtons Gotham City in Batman is strongly based on the art deco of Metropolis by using for example the tower of Babel thanks to Anton Fursts openly creative transformation. There is no doubt about it. People always try to find what makes you tick as a designer and I think in this respect there is no doubt that I was influenced by German expressionism or so later. Kenneth worked together with Kubrick to construct a metropolis like set-design set at futuristic standards for 2001: a space odyssey. The 1940s Hollywood film noir films were hugely influenced by German expressionism and many of the motifs and images can be seen in films such as The Big Sleep. Indeed, Fritz Lang even directed some films of this genre himself. But How did the Expressionism influence the film noir? The opportunities offered by the booming Hollywood film industry and, later, the threat of growing Nazipower led to the emigration of many important film artists working in Germany who had either been directly involved in the Expressionist movement or studied with its practitioners Directorssuch as Fritz Lang, Robert Siodmak, and Michael Curtizbrought a dramatically shadowed lighting style and a psychologically expressive approach to visual composition, or MHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_scà ¨neise-en-scà ¨ne, with them to Hollywood, where they would make some of the most famous of classic noirs. Langs magnum opus, M-released in 1931, two years before his departure from Germany-is among the first major crime films of the sound erato join a characteristically nourish visual style with a noir-type plot, one in which the protagonistis a criminal (as are his most successful pursuers)

The Reality of Jacob Riis How the Other Half Lives Essay example -- W

The Reality of Jacob Riis' How the Other Half Lives Jacob Riis’ book How the Other Half Lives is a detailed description on the poor and the destitute in the inner realms of New York City. Riis tries to portray the living conditions through the ‘eyes’ of his camera. He sneaks up on the people flashes a picture and then tells the rest of the city how the ‘other half’ is living. As shocking as the truth was without seeing such poverty and horrible conditions with their own eyes or taking in the experience with all their senses it still seemed like a million miles away or even just a fairy tale.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reality of this book hit the people of New York right between the eyes. Riis was once ascribed the label of lower class society, but worked his way up the ladder of success and entered into a higher class among humanity. Riis tried to write this book with pure objectivity but given his background and emotional connection to the tenement dwellers it was hard to keep that objectivity throughout his book. The references he uses to describe some of the immigrant live-ins were negative and very much stereotypical. For example on page 92 when he’s referring to Italians and their ability to speak, English. â€Å"Unlike the German, who begins learning English the day he lands as a matter of duty, or the Polish Jew, who takes it up as soon as he is able as an investment, the Italian learns slowly, if at all.† By referring to Italians in such a way gives, the effect that he holds a personal grudge against them. He makes it seem like they have personally of fended him by not knowing the English language, when in reality I don’t think he cares at all about what they have to say or what they think about him. He feels that if they (Italians or any of the minority groups) come to the United States they should be well briefed enough know the basic communication needs of his language or don’t come at all because your wasting his time and frankly just being a pain in the ass. He refers to all the immigration groups in a judgmental way. He complains about the intelligence levels of the Italians, how dirty and deceitful the Jews are, and even the immaculate cleanliness of the Chinamen. Although he does possess quite a bit of bigotry that boarders on the line of prejudice when it comes to African Americans he recognizes that they are suffering from racism and he sympathizes with th... ... them enough to care how they live. Once that was done you could take the care they discovered for those people and use it to better their homes. And the city would well be on it’s way to improvement. Riis writes his book effectively and manages to grasp the attention of the nation with his exposà © of real life stories and his snap photography of the tenements of New York City. His point of view wasn’t always objective and he had many stereotypes burned into his brain, but at the same time without some of those preconceived ideas I don’t think his writing would have been as effective as it was. There were real emotions and deep feelings that went into his work. Without his connection to the poverty stricken, he would not have an understanding of where those immigrants were mentally, the pain they were going through and the ‘rough road’ ahead of them. The main purpose of his book was to try to help open the eyes of the people in New York to the conditions in which the immigrants are living. By opening their eyes, he hoped that there would be compassion growing in their hearts and maybe open up to that community and aid in the reconstruction of the tenem ents in which they resided.

Comparing Science and Religion in Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Struggle Between Science and Religion in Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Metropolis From Frankenstein to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to Metropolis, the mad scientist is one of the modern world's most instantly recognizable and entertaining cultural icons. Popular culture's fascination with demented doctors, crazed clinicians, and technologically fanatical fiends have dominated the major motifs of popular literature and film for most of the 20th century and this fascination will continue into the 21st century. An archetypal outcast, the mad scientist represents all that modern culture holds mysterious and fascinating, intriguing and sinful, and, to say the least, romantic. Popular culture has completely desensitized the blasphemous, heretical, epileptic shocks of tampering with "things that should not be tampered with" and has made them, instead, into common, everyday occurrences. The Romantic struggle between theology and science still wages today--only today's theology has become a religion of materialism and the worship of the monetary system; and through mass media this neo-theology has appealed to societies appetite and captivated an audience desirable by any deity. When we think of 'Mad Science,' the modern, stereotypical, Hollywood vision of mad science floods the mind-of Dr. Frankenstein (Frankenstein); Dr. Jekyll (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde); and Rotwang (Metropolis); along with many others-and for good reason. Many of these characters we know by heart, either from literature, theater, or film, while many others we've hardly heard of and are thus marked mundane and unimportant in our minds. Mad science is synonymous with 'the insane scientist' who blew up his lab, but is ecst... ... science and symbolism pertaining to sex roles, marriage, and the family. With the reformed tolerance and leniency of the 19th century, especially that of religion, the gateway was opened and the chaos that is modern horror was set free to terrorize the land. Works Cited Carroll, David , and Kyla Ward. "The Horror Timeline." < http://www.tabula-rasa.info/DarkAges/> October 13, 2003. Lovecraft, H.P. "H.P. Lovecraft Library." William Johns, 2002. October 15, 2003. Perkus, Aaron Keith. Mythos Journal No. 6: Myths of Science and Technology: Dr. Jekyll Hyeding in the Garden of Eden. October 15, 2003. Skal, David J. Screams of Reason: mad science and modern culture. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1998. Stevenson, Robert Louis. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2003.

The Happy Girl :: Character

The Happy Girl Jackie's small features curled up in horror as I unceremoniously plopped down on the hotel room floor. "Ew! That's so disgusting, Sarah!" she exclaimed, stomping her slipper-clad foot soundly on the floor. "I can't believe that you're sitting on the carpet! You know how germ-a-phobic I am!" Rolling around some more, I laughed as her hands clasped around a jumbo-sized container of Lysol. Even on the band trip to Colorado, she was still as cautious of "infection" as ever. Shaking her head at me, she smiled somberly as she shook the can, preparing to thoroughly disinfect our room. Based on this alone, most people would classify Jackie as, well, a freak. Most likely, they'd be right. But she's "freaky" in an amazingly wonderful sort of way. I've known Jackie since sixth grade. When I first went to West Hempfield Middle School, I didn't know many people. Most of my friends were sent to Harrold, while others became "popular" seemingly overnight, leaving their slightly geeky bookworm of a best friend behind as they went on to become cheerleaders, athletes, or student government representatives. One of the girls from my homeroom that I quickly befriended introduced me to Jackie at the beginning of the school year during sixth-grade lunch. From the moment we met, I knew that we'd make great friends. We had a lot in common, including interests in music (we both play clarinet), television (we're both huge X-Files fans), and art. Even when we'd disagree about something, she was still fun to be around. Jackie is the kind of girl that is always perky, helping anyone out of a bad mood, even when she's in one herself. I can't help but smile when I talk to her; her happiness is seemingly infectious. On any given day, Jackie's outward appearance is bound to be something unique and creative. With her traditional Italian looks - thick black hair, dark brown eyes, and lightly tanned skin - she can easily dress in many different styles and still look adorable. Her manner of dress ranges from punk to preppy, gothic to grunge. At school, she can appear to be a perfect little angel, yet be a hard-core, glamorous, punk-rocker at a party the same night.

Logotherapy: Meaning of Life and Frankl Essay

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian man born in 1905. He was the father of Logotherapy which is referred to as the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy. Frankl followed in the footsteps of other famous psychologists including Sigmund Freud. He pioneered the thought that a person can move forward in one’s life after a traumatic or rough experience by finding new meaning in life. Though many of his ideas were derived from Freud’s and Adlers previous thoughts, he also took an new approach to helping people. Thus the beginning of Logotherapy. He was first published in the International Journal of Psychoanalysis when he was in high school. He then went to secondary school and began working on his degree in psychiatry and Neurology in medical school. Frankl went to the same school in Viennese as Sigmund Freud. At first Frankl was extremely interested in Freudian psychoanalysis but soon started to disagree with his therapy methods. Frankl thought that Freuds views were to narrow and did not agree with Freud’s idea’s that sexual impulses could explain the majority of human behavior (Hoffman, 1995). After studying Freudian psychoanalysis, he became interested and focused on environmental and societal factor to explain human behavior, which was Alfred Adler’s psychology view (Frankl, Viktor Frankl recollections: An autobiography , 1997). While studying the teachings of Freud and Adler he began forming his own very different therapy known was logotherapy, which is defined as healing through meaning. After graduation he was promoted in the hospital in Vienna to the head of suicide and depression prevention, where he treated over 3,000 women. During this time, he formed his own private practice where he began to utilize logotherapy (Frankl, Viktor Frankl recollections: An autobiography, 1997). He then could ask his clients questions about how they were feeling and what was keeping them alive and moving forward in such a low time in their lives. He then noticed because of the question that he was asking people seem to be suffering from lack of meaning in their lives than the loss of employment (Hoffman, 1995). In 1937 Frankl started to write articles about what he called logotherapy. Then in 1938, Frankl had to give up his private practice and was forced to relocate. He was transferred to the Rothschild hospital where he could only treat Jewish patients; due to the Nazi control (Hoffman, 1995). The Nazi euthanasia program forced extermination on many clients who were suffering from brain injuries and psychological illnesses, and Frankl was forced to watch these executions. To try and save the mentally ill personnel he began to falsify documents to help avoid euthanasia. He would change their diagnosis so that they would not be transferred for the euthanasia program and could stay with their families. While at the hospital he would get about a dozen of men and women who attempted to commit suicide. Where he tried to help them find meaning and life and to continue the fight. He was then married in 1941 to Tilly Grosser, and a year later Frankl’s and his family were arrested and brought to concentration camps. While in the concentration camps Frankl knew that he could not change his situation but could help those around him and himself by counseling in his barracks. During his imprisonment Frankl dug ditches, volunteered at the typhus ward, and also set up a suicide prevention program (Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, 1959). After the long hard days of the prisoners being beaten, starved, Frankl would help the prisoners understand that their experiences were helping them develop strengths for the future (Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett, 2010). When Frankl was in Auschwitz he first wrote â€Å"The Doctor and the Soul† and it was then discovered and then the book was destroyed. In April of 1945 Frankl’s camp was liberated. Frankl and his sister were the only two who survive during their stay throughout the various concentration camps. His father died from starvation and his mother and wife were murdered by the gas chambers. He then reconstructed his book â€Å"The Doctor and the Soul† and it was then published, and nine days following he published a second book which sold over 11 million copies before he died and became known as â€Å"Man’s Search for Meaning†. The original title of that book was â€Å"Saying yes to life in spite of everything†. This book describes his experiences throughout his stay in concentration camps and also his theory of logotherapy (Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, 1959). During this time Frankl met his second wife named Elenore Schwindt and had a baby girl soon after they were wed. Frankl went on to author over 38 books and to speak around the world on his experiences and logotherapy. Frankl lived a long life and died on September 2, 1997 when he was 92 years old. Logos is a Greek word that which stands for meaning. Therefore logotherapy focuses on a person’s search for meaning, the search relates to finding purpose in one’s life or tasks (Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, 1959). Frankl found that humans are more oriented towards meaning and seek meaning in all their circumstances (Kimble & Ellor, 2009). The idea of logotherapy began back in 1921 when Frankl was still in high school (Guttmann, 1996). Then while in the concentration camps, the people who had a better chance of survival were those that had hope of being reunited with loved ones, ones with faith, or ones that felt as if they had a purpose in life that they had to complete. This is how logotherapy started off by 1960 logotherapy gained worldwide recognition. Logotherapist do not tell their patients what to see but simply corrects their ability to see (Kimble & Ellor, 2009). Logotherapist also help search for positive meaning that underlines behavior, thought and action. Throughout therapy certain techniques are used. Paradoxical intention is a technique used to help patients with anxiety, phobias and obsessive compulsions (Guttmann, 1996). It is part of therapy when you confront your fears, in essence you tell yourself to do the opposite of what you truly want, like try not to fall asleep when you are truly trying to sleep. A specific strategy that logotherapist use is dereflection; it is used when clients focus on negatives (Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett, 2010). Dereflection is a technique that you shift attention from oneself and onto others, problems often disappear. Frankl noted that the meaning of life is different from person to person and from situation to situation. Therefore he states that there is not a general meaning in life for all humanity (Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, 1959). There were three different basic principles that are composed to make up logotherapy, and help discover meaning. The first basic principle of logotherapy is life has meaning under all circumstances. The second principle is that all people have a will to achieve meaning in their life. Finally the third principle is people have freedom under all circumstances to activate the will to meaning and to find meaning (Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, 1959). Throughout a clients therapy the goals concerning the outcome of their treatment consist of the client being able to be aware of his/her choices. The goals guide the clients to understand current experience, and past experiences and the meaning for the purpose of life. They also recognize factors that block freedom and can accept freedom and responsibility. The tragic triad is composed of three different elements guilt, death, and unavoidable suffering. Any part of the tragic triad can happen to anyone and it will always be a part of mankind. Each person reacts differently to each situation. When we are faced with one of these elements it is then when we realize we need to improve our lives and begin to act. Situations cannot be changed but your attitude on the situation can be (Guttmann, 1996). But when life has no meaning it becomes empty, is what Frankl calls existential vacuum. The existential vacuum creates a hole, which needs to be filled. People try to fill their hole with superficial things or anything that provides some satisfaction; such as drugs, eating to an excess or not at all, anger, obsession, or fear. Behaviors such as depression, aggression and addiction were caused by the loss of meaning. There are also two levels of meaning. Ultimate meaning is a meaning that we can never reach. It can be a god or science as the search for truth, nature, and evolution for those who do not believe in god or an ultimate being (Guttmann, 1996). The other level of meaning is meaning in the moment, which is the understanding meaning of each moment by fulfilling the demands that life places on us. Frankl points out that there are three ways to find meaning in life and is often referred to as the meaning triangle. The first way to find meaning is through creative works. It is what and how we give to the world through self-expression. The second is by experiencing; by what we take or receive from the world through nature, culture, relationships, and interactions with others and with our environment. The third way to find meaning is with a change of attitude. Even if we can’t change the situation or the circumstances, we can still choose our attitude towards the condition. These are the ways that a client can help find meaning in their life. These attitudinal values as Frankl calls them, is when being confronted with a hopeless situation a person has a way to find meaning (Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, 1959). Throughout Frankl’s life he was inspired to help people. While throughout his experiences he was able to develop logotherapy which has become a widely used therapy process and techniques. His life experiences and trials helped him to form a therapy that not only people with issues should follow but all of us as well. He still helps find people a meaning and purpose in life. References Frankl, V. (1955). The Doctor and the Soul. New York: Random House. Frankl, V. (1959). Man’s Search for Meaning. New York: Random House. Frankl, V. (1997). Viktor Frankl recollections: An autobiography . New York: Plenum. Guttmann, D. (1996). Logotherapy for the Helping Professional. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Hoffman, E. (1995, March 18). Viktor Frankl at 90: A Voice for Life. America, pp. 17-22. Ivey, A. E. , Ivey, M. B. , & Zalaquett, C. P. (2010). Intentional Intervieing & Counseling. Belmont: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. Kimble, M. A. , & Ellor, W. J. (2009). Logotherapy: An Overview. Journal of Religious Gerontology, 11:3-4, 9-24.

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest

Art from its very beginning has played the role of upgrading the value of the society. Literature works have taken the responsibility of improving the value of the degraded societies. Literature works are the perfect mirrors of the nature, culture and practices prevailed in societies existed in different ages. Literature of twentieth century would differ from that of the twenty-first century. The characters of the literature works are the representatives of the generation of that period. Poets and authors were very much aware and bothered about the society and people and used their pen as a sword to destroy the evilness that existed. The best way to learn history and culture and the life of early generations is to move through the literature works of that particular period.Plays of famous playwrights beautifully illustrate the whole generation of that age. It will also reflect the dialect and standard of the generation. Writings in particular have the capability to touch the very bas e of the society by criticizing and applauding its activities, conventions, customs and practices. All the plays, novels and other works have something good to exhort to the society. A piece of writing will be highly influenced by the background of the author and the place which he represents. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and Hamlet by William Shakespeare are two examples of such works that contain high moral and social theme in it. The Importance of Being Earnest of Oscar Wilde is an ultimate demolition of late nineteenth-century moral and social attitudes and is a comic critique of late Victorian value.Oscar Wilde's witty remark ‘The truth is rarely pure and never simple’ exhibits a major theme of the play. ‘Truth’ in Victorian England was revealed in the stagnant social conventions that suppressed individual expression. The play openly criticized various sluggish and vein practices. Oscar Wilde was against this conventional notion of tr uth as it was used to keep blinders on the society and prevented individuals from looking at life from different angles. He wanted define truth to a different way. He did not respect anything which is traditionally considered as truth value or morality.He was against the rigid set of rules that are supposed to be as truth or justice. There were various examples of human nature and reality that were evident throughout the play The Importance of Being Earnest. Human practices and the belief about morality or justice often will be quite away from the actual truth or justice. It is also a fantasy in which unattainable human ideals are permitted to realize themselves. He wonders what does it mean to be perfectly earnest? How does it differ from society and people? He himself was found to be perplexed while exploring certain things and cry out what meaning does the word earnest give. Oscar Wilde himself addressed this play as ‘A trivial comedy for serious people'. The moral confusio n in the play is an example of the mishap that prevailed in the contemporary Victorian society.In The Importance of Being Earnest, the concept of marriage is of paramount importance. The question of the nature of marriage appears first time in the opening dialogue among Algernon and his butler, Lane, and this point continues for a while. The play depicts an ongoing debate about the nature of marriage, discussing whether it is ‘pleasant’ or ‘unpleasant.’ Lane says that marriage is a pleasant state though he late says that his marriage was the consequence of a serious ‘misunderstanding between myself and a young person’. The concepts of Lane about marriage is ‘somewhat lax’ as far as Algernon is concerned.His concepts are found to be persistently cynical till he falls in love with Cecily. Algernon, but, opines that the truth â€Å"isn’t quite the sort of thing one tells to a nice, sweet, refined girl.† These contrasting and confusing views of these characters of the play are the original reflection of the chaotic Victorian society and their morality. The Importance of Being Earnest intended nothing but pure criticism.In general these assumptions reveal the conventional preoccupations of Victorian respectability; its social position, character and income. Morality and the constraints is also a major topic throughout The Importance of Being Earnest. Algernon (character) is of the opinion that it is the responsibility of the servant class to set a moral standard for the upper classes. In Jack’s (character) opinion, reading a private cigarette case itself can be ‘ungentlemanly.’ Algernon points that ‘More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn’t read’.   All these assumptions and restrictions formulated a strict code of morals that prevail in Victorian society. Oscar Wilde is not bothered with questions of what is moral and what is not.He howe ver criticizes the whole Victorian concept of considering morality as a rigid body of rules defining what people should and should not do. ‘Earnestness’, which stands for the quality of being serious and the quality of being sincere, is the chief object of satire of the play. Oscar Wilde wants us to consider irreverence, the opposite of earnestness, as the true moral character. But, earnestness, seriousness or sincerity is the chief most enemy of morality in The Importance of Being Earnest. Earnestness may appear in different styles like boringness, solemnity pomposity, smugness, self-righteousness, sense of duty, and complacency all of which Wilde saw as hallmarks of the Victorian character.For Oscar Wilde, the term earnest is a combination of two ideas: the notion of false truth as well as the idea of false morality. We can see Jack and Algernon attempting to break away from the strictures of modesty and decency by inventing some fabricated alter egos. It is nothing b ut the false morality and values of the Victorian society that impelled them for this. These incidents are the pure example of the haughtiness, smugness and other false practices prevailed in the Victorian society. The Importance of Being Earnest. Criticizes the whole Victorian morality; their false strictness and practices.The pun in the play strikes at the core of the Victorian concept of duty and respectability. We can see Gwendolen desiring to marry Earnest though she is not sure of this earnestness. She simply forgives the deception of Jack. Jack pretends to be both ‘Earnest’ and ‘earnest’ and become the representative of Victorian hypocrisy in the play. The notion of inversion (different types of inversion) found in The Importance of Being Earnest. is also intended to criticize similar morality in the Victorian society. Algernon says that ‘Divorces are made in Heaven’ which is against the common notion that ‘Marriages are made in He aven’. Jack later says that it is ‘terrible’ for a man to be truthful throughout his life.This represents the decayed morality and practices prevailed in the contemporary Victorian society. The characters of the play simply inverted the conventional morality and displayed the standard of the Victorian society in their actions. The female characters of The Importance of Being Earnest. symbolize an inversion of accepted Victorian practices with respect to the gender roles. Gwendolen, Cecily, Lady Bracknell and al other characters possess a face of deception and false morality. The weakness of the characters represents the weakness of the contemporary Victorian society. The moral paradox, the moral breakdown of the Victorian society is the most evident theme of the play.Jokes about death are also visible throughout the play The Importance of Being Earnest. These death jokes give a layer of dark humor to the play and connect to the concept of life being a work of art . The characters in the play discuss death as a happening over which a person can gain control. Double life is another concept that is visible in The Importance of Being Earnest. One of the important paradoxes of The Importance of Being Earnest is the state of impossibility to become earnest or moral even though some people claim to be so. We can see Lady Bracknell commenting about death. An incident of inversion happens as she says that her friend Lady Harbury appears twenty years younger after her husband’s death. She is of the opinion that ‘death is an inconvenience for others’. When she hears about the death of Bunbury (as per the physicians’ predictions) she praises Bunbury as she moved ‘under proper medical advice’.As per the talk of Miss Prism, death is an experience from which people can learn a moral lesson. She opines that it would be good for Ernest to die. Algernon and Jack put plans for killing the imaginary brother of Jack. These superstitions, ignorance, death jokes or dark humor explain life as a wok of art. The character of the play considers death as something which is under the control of man. For them death is the ultimate decision that one can take to shape and color his life. These characters, their beliefs, thoughts and morality are directly pulled out from the life in the Victorian society. Victorian people maintained the same ideology during those times. Oscar Wilde was planning an open criticism through his play The Importance of Being Earnest.ReferencesJordan, R. J. (1970). Satire and Fantasy in Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.Reinert, O. (1956). Satiric Strategy in The Importance Of Being Earnest.Bloom, Harold. Oscar Wilde. New York: Chelsea House, 1985.Ericksen, Donald H. Oscar Wilde. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1977.Freedman, Jonathan, ed. Oscar Wilde, A Collection of Critical Essays. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.Gagnier, Regenia. Idylls of the Marketplace, Osca r Wilde and the Victorian Public. Palo Alto, California: Stanford University Press, 1986.Pearce, Joseph. The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde. London: HarperCollins UK, 2001.Raby, Peter. Oscar Wilde. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988.Siebold, Thomas. Readings on The Importance of Being Earnest. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press, 2001.